Coaches Who Won Championships In College And With Pro Sports Team

If Billy Donovan wins the NBA championship in his new job as coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder, he will join a select group that has hit the parlay of college and professional success.

Donovan won two NCAA championships at Florida. From the four major sports, there are six coaches that have won titles at both levels. Four have come in football. Another did it in hockey. Larry Brown is the only one to do it in basketball. It has never happened in baseball.

Here is a look at those six men and the championships they won:

Coaches With College, Pro Championships

Larry Brown, Kansas

This team was known as Danny and the Miracles. Led by Danny Manning, the Jayhawks made it to the 1988 Final Four (conveniently located in Kansas City). They knocked off Duke in the semifinal game, then upset conference rival Oklahoma, which had beaten Kansas twice during the regular season.

Larry Brown, Pistons

After signing Karl Malone and Gary Payton, the Lakers were favored to regain the NBA title in 2004. But in the Finals, Brown's Pistons rolled to the championship in five games. Chauncey Billups was named Finals MVP. This was the first time Phil Jackson reached the Finals and lost.

Bob Johnson, Wisconsin

Badger Bob, the man who coined the phrase "It's a great day for hockey," won NCAA titles with Wisconsin in 1973, 1977 and 1981. His son, Mark Johnson, was a key player on the Miracle on Ice team that won gold in 1980 at Lake Placid.

Bob Johnson, Penguins

Johnson coached the Calgary Flames to the 1986 Stanley Cup Final where they lost to the Canadiens and a rookie goalie named Patrick Roy. But Johnson won his Stanley Cup as Penguins coach in 1991 with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. Just five months later, Johnson died of brain cancer.

Paul Brown, Ohio State

In 1942, the second of his three seasons in Columbus, Brown led the Buckeyes to a 9-1 record, which gave them the national championship as the AP's No. 1 ranked team.

Paul Brown, Browns

Brown led the Browns to four consecutive titles in the All-America Football Conference. Then the team joined the NFL and won championships in 1950, 1954 and 1955.

Jimmy Johnson, Miami

The Hurricanes were close to winning the national title in 1986 as they headed into the Fiesta Bowl undefeated and ranked No. 1. But they lost to No. 2 Penn State. The following season, Miami won it all, going unbeaten and taking down Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl.

Jimmy Johnson, Cowboys

Johnson went 1-15 in his first season after replacing Tom Landry. But he built Dallas into a powerhouse that beat the Bills in consecutive Super Bowls.

Barry Switzer, Oklahoma

Running the wishbone offense, Switzer led the Sooners to national titles in 1974, 1975 and 1985.

Barry Switzer, Cowboys

In his first season with Dallas, Switzer inherited a team that had won back-to-back Super Bowls with Jimmy Johnson. Switzer took the Cowboys to the NFC championship before losing to Steve Young and the 49ers. The next season, the Cowboys went back to the Super Bowl and beat the Steelers 27-17.

Pete Carroll, USC

Carroll wasn't USC's first choice to be coach in 2000 but he built the Trojans into an elite program. USC won a share of the national title in 2003 as it finished ranked No. 1 in the AP while LSU took the BCS trophy. In 2004 the Trojans, with Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush, crushed Oklahoma 55–19 in the BCS championship game in the Orange Bowl.

Pete Carroll, Seahawks

In his fourth season with Seattle, Carroll took a defensively dominant team to the Super Bowl and squashed Peyton Manning and Denver 43-8.